


Lavender Moon

by HuntingDandy (Vintage_lover_who)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Mystery, Very Merry Kylux, Witch AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 06:23:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9059338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vintage_lover_who/pseuds/HuntingDandy
Summary: Life as a witch isn't easy. Life as a wanted man ain't either, and when you find a mysterious apprentice that seems to know everything about you, things can only get worse.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the Very Merry Kylux Secret Santa. My giftee was weirywolf/arkanis-forecast, who is totally worth checking out. I apologise in advance for how OOC this might be. I also expected it to be much more cheerful (because come on, this is a holiday gift!) but alas, the muse works in mysterious ways. Hope you enjoy it!

The trees were swaying and the orange leaves crunched after every step he took. It was the middle of November and autumn was in its peak. Armitage Hux strode about with a frown on his face and a cat in his arms, his satchel bumping against his hip with every hurried step. He wasn't exactly running, yet he was adamant to stay in the same place for more than a couple of hours; after all, one didn't piss the Great Coven off and just scooted away.

Still, he had managed to avoid them, and as soon as he could, he found himself walking through the one place he knew they would avoid like the plague: the Northern Forest. It had nothing to do with the fact that many people disappeared in it, but rather with their genuine despise for anything too stereotypically witchy, which was one of the things Hux hated most about them: their hypocrisy, their constant need to blend and prove they could be "good" and "safe".

Hux had no interest in being neither good nor safe; magic existed for plenty of reasons and the Great Coven thought they had the ultimate truth about it. Well fuck that. The world was a dark place and there was no point in denying it.

He was still replaying the images of his fake trial when he heard a loud snap, much more noticeable than the crunching of the leaves. It took him 5 seconds to realise where the noise had come from and what it meant, but it was too late. Before Hux could try anything, he was being swept into the air, legs first, head knocking against the hard ground. The silhouette of his frightened ginger cat running away was the last thing Hux saw before blacking out.

\-----

The sensation of the chilling wind against his naked belly woke him up. He still hadn't opened his eyes but was gauging the state of his body: hanging upside down, most likely from a tree but not far off the ground; everything seemed to be physically in order except for his head that hurt like hell and pounded with all the blood that had gone to it; his coat was brushing the floor and his shirt had lifted up (or down?), revealing his lower abdomen and causing him to shiver in the cold.

Hux was already trying to foster enough strength to lift himself upwards to where his foot was tied, when he heard the crunching of the leaves as steps approached his location. _Shit_ , he thought, never assumed the Grand Coven would take it so personally as to go looking after him in one of the most secluded places of the country.

He fought to open his eyes because damn right he was going to die staring into his pursuers' eyes and he found a pair of unfamiliar boots standing before him. His vision was still blurry due to the blood accumulated in his head but he could also discern a pair of tight, black jeans. Then a pale face appeared before him, covered with a hood in an impossibly darker shade of black, and Hux had to squint in order to better see the individual features composing it.

The face before him is slender and angular, with surprising softness around the eyes and the lips. The nose stands out, though it seems to fit. The eyes are a mesmerising shade of amber and they were looking at Hux as if he were a bug under a microscope.

"Raised, not born. Possibly Irish, 34, scary," the figure recited and smirked. "Not bad for a Wednesday."

“Who the fuck are you?” Hux attempted but it came all slurred.

The man smiled in response and got up, his face now out of Hux’s range of vision. He heard the characteristic sound of a blade being unsheathed and next thing he knew, he was hitting the floor in all his dead weight. The world sways for a good two minutes, after which Hux hasn’t found the will to get up. He then feels a pat on his shoulder and when he opens his eyes, the previously hooded stranger is extending a hand towards him.

_Fuck, he’s attractive_. He had seemed ok from an upside down view, but now that he’s taken his hood off and Hux is upright, he notices the scattered moles adorning his face, as if replicating a constellation, and the dark, wavy hair framing his face. This man can’t be from the Grand Coven, Hux would remember such a face.

“Is your head still scrambled? I can give you something for that,” asked the man but Hux shakes his head lightly since it still hurts.

“I’m fine. I have to get my cat, and my satchel. It was right here with me.”

“Oh, you mean this?” said the stranger, patting the satchel which now hung from his shoulder.

Hux’s eyes widened. “Give it back, that’s not a toy.”

“I know it isn’t. You’re a witch, and the cat you’re looking for is most likely your familiar.”

“And you’re all too well informed to be a stranger. Who sent you? Was it Maude? That bitch had a personal vendetta against me, though I’m starting to believe the whole Coven did.”

The stranger chuckled. “I’m not affiliated to the Grand Coven. In fact, I find them ridiculous, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. What are you doing here?”

“Well I could ask you the same thing,” said Hux, wrapping his coat tighter around his frame, suddenly self-conscious under the stranger’s gaze. “And I wouldn’t have to be here if I hadn’t been caught by that stupid trap, which I assume belongs to you.”

“You assume well,” the man granted, his tone sombre. “But you haven’t answered my question. I suggest you do it quick before I find any more reasons to kill you.”

Hux couldn’t help but snort. “Kill me? Better men have tried before. Besides, I thought you knew everything about me already.”

The playful expression was back on the man’s face. “Only the obvious. I did a tarot reading earlier, I knew you’d come. I just didn’t know you would be this…charming.” Hux raised a brow, sceptically. “So you’re running from the Coven?”

“Correction: not running, merely abiding by the law.”

“Which is…?”

“To stay away from them.”

“What for?”

Hux narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “You’re rather nosy for a passer-by, no offence intended. Common courtesy demands a name, at least.”

The stranger was now pouting, seemingly bothered by Hux’s comment, but complied nevertheless. “Kylo Ren.”

“Well, _Kylo_ ,” started Hux, stressing the name, “as far as I know, my only sin was the use of ‘unconventional methods’ of witchcraft.”

“That makes two of us, then.” That peaked Hux’s interests and he lifted his head. Kylo shrugged. “What did _you_ do, specifically?”

“Disappearing nearly an entire village on someone else’s command.” Kylo stared at him and Hux answered with a shrug of his own. “I needed the money.”

A smirk spread across Kylo’s face. “How would you like a new job? My master and I could use your help.”

“Master? I’m not sure I want another set of rules to follow.”

“Believe me, our set is particularly unconventional as well.”

Hux remained doubtful. “I don’t—I would need to get my cat first. She can’t be far away--”

“Come,” beckoned Kylo, already heading on the opposite direction. “She’ll find us.”

Hux remained standing in place for a few seconds, weighing his possibilities and realising he didn’t have any. Besides, the guy still had his satchel, and if Millicent was out there, it’d be better to stay in the area, so he followed Kylo, not without doing his best to shut down all the alarm bells ringing in his head first.

\-----

The cottage in which Kylo and his “master” lived in was an unremarkable one story structure with a roofed porch. Everything surrounding it seemed to have as dull a colour as the house itself, and although the construction appeared old, there was an undeniable solidity to it as well.

“This is it,” said Kylo, opening the door and revealing a spacious vestibule. “My master is in his study right now, but he will soon join us,” he continued, taking off the upper layer of his clothing and remaining in a grey, V-neck jumper, before starting to put some adjacent boxes in order.

Without the hooded jacket, Hux could take a more proper look at Kylo’s body. He is built in a way that the thick layers in which he dressed dissimulated, and the muscles of his back are clearly visible through the thinner fabric. He’s taller than Hux for just a few inches but he’s twice as muscular and Hux couldn’t help but stare.

“Coffee?” asked Kylo once he was content with the new array he’d made. It took Hux a few seconds to snap out of his reverie.

“I’d prefer tea,” he said and Kylo disappeared inside the kitchen to Hux’s left.

On his right, there was a reasonably large but scarcely furnished sitting room. Before him stretched a hallway lined by doors, two on the right and one on the left. And at the end of it, there was another door, painted in the same dark blue of the walls. It was odd because the house wasn’t big enough to hold another room, but Hux dismissed it as nothing but a back door. His observations were interrupted by Kylo’s call from the kitchen and he headed towards it instead.

The kitchen was a big, illuminated room with a large table in the middle. Kylo gestured to one of the chairs for Hux to sit and placed a steaming cup in front of it. Hux felt actually grateful for it.

“So when can I have my satchel back?” he asked after taking a few sips of the warm liquid.

“Once the Supreme Leader approves of you. We still don’t know if you’re staying.”

Hux was about to retort that he didn’t need anyone’s approval, let alone someone who call themselves “Supreme Leader”, when a man entered the kitchen. He had a big scar on his face, so prominent it took up almost the entirety of it, swallowing it. His eyes were small and penetrating as he looked Hux with a disbelieving glare. Kylo got up from his seat.

“Master, this is…” he started, realising in the spot he didn’t even know his own guest’s name.

Hux sighed and got up as well. “Armitage Hux. Nice to meet you.”

The man stared at him, weighing him up and Hux couldn’t stop the chill that ran down his spine. He finally nodded in acknowledgement, though he didn’t introduce himself.

“Why have you brought him, my apprentice?”

“The Grand Coven is after him. And I believe he has potential.”

“Why is the Coven after you, Mr. Hux?” interrogated the older man, putting Hux under his implacable scrutiny once again.

“They called my methods unconventional. I put human lives in danger.”

The Supreme Leader barely twitched at that. “You do not come from a powerful magical lineage, nor do I sense any particular psychic sensibility in you.”

“I specialise in other areas,” assured Hux, slightly offended. “I’m not interested in divination or necromancy. My fortes are incantations and alchemy; I work with nature.”

“Science and nature magic,” pondered the man. “Then you are of no use to us,” he concluded categorically and started his way towards the other side of the kitchen.

Hux had never been the begging kind, but this man was messing with his pride, and that was something he would always defend. He straightened his back before speaking loudly.

“I wiped three quarters of a town with only the knowledge I already possess. If that seems useless to you, then I’ll be glad to collect my things and look for a more appropriate environment to practice.”

The Supreme Leader stopped in his tracks and for a minute, Hux wondered if it hadn’t been better to forcefully take the satchel away from Kylo and run after Millicent instead, but then he turned with what seemed to be the closest thing to a smile he could manage.

“Perhaps I was quick to judge. You may stay here, Armitage Hux. Let’s see what we can make of you.”

The satisfaction Hux was expecting to feel never came, but at least the uneasiness faded once the Supreme Leader had left the kitchen to go back to wherever he had been before their encounter. As soon as he left, Hux collapsed back in his chair. His tea was already cold.

Kylo was looking at him with a puzzling expression in his face, and Hux wasn’t in the mood for it. He frowned in response, playing with his teacup until a loud thud broke the silence. His satchel was now on his side of the table, presumably thrown at him by Kylo. Hux’s frown deepened as he hurried to make sure the contents of it weren’t too damaged.

“Congratulations. Supreme Leader Snoke is not generally that benevolent.”

“Lucky me,” replied Hux, still browsing through his things.

Kylo ignored his sarcasm. “Your room will be the first one on the right. You can retire for the night as you see fit.”

“What do you mean retire for--”

Hux lifted his head just to find that the light that had been coming through the kitchen’s windows was gone, replaced by a deep blue hue. Outside was dark and Hux suddenly felt extremely tired, so he grabbed his satchel and got ready to leave.

“We’ll look for your cat tomorrow,” said Kylo but his gaze was fixed on the window instead, his words distant. Hux shrugged and left the place.

As he stripped himself from the majority of his clothing, he replayed the day in his head. In the morning he had been declared guilty of endangering humans by the Great Coven, he had been called reckless and a savage and he’d been banned from any and all practices of witchcraft. He was supposed to await the more severe part of his sentence in house arrest, but he had escaped right after his transfer, taking only his most valuable assets with him.

By midday, he was already a wanted man. By the crepuscule he was trapped, and now he was some kind of dark witch’s apprentice.

None of the choices leading up to that moment seemed logical, though Hux hoped they would prove to be worthy; after all, there were still plenty of things that baffled him regarding his latest company. Still, beggars can’t be choosers and Hux supposed there were worse ways to end such a shitty day as that. Besides, he could always learn the essentials and then leave the crazy old man and his admittedly handsome apprentice.

Hux stretched on the bed and closed his eyes. He wondered briefly about the wellbeing of Millicent, but quickly turned away from such thoughts; she was very capable of taking care of herself and would surely find him before he even tried looking. Soon enough, Hux fell into a fitful sleep in which he would dream about dark claws that wanted to get him and a pale, angular face smiling innocently from the other side.

\-----

The morning came with little fuss. Hux woke up to sunlight filtering through the leaves of the immense tree that sheltered that side of the house. Outside, the place was quiet and he headed to the only room he already knew. The kitchen was already occupied by Kylo Ren, who was stripping some basil of its leaves.

“Good morning,” saluted Hux, rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm himself up.

“Morning,” answered Kylo, not lifting his gaze from his task. “I trust you slept well. We have plenty to do today.”

“Where is Snoke?”

Kylo paused, looking at Hux with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance. “ _Supreme Leader Snoke_ is almost never around. Not for you to see, at least.”

“Then how am I supposed to work for him?”

“You will be under my command.”

Hux snorted. “Your command? You’re barely an apprentice.”

The look Kylo gave him was angrier than before. “I’ve been with the Supreme Leader since I was fifteen. I have his complete trust, and enough knowledge to make your most impressive achievements look like child’s play, so I suggest you start showing some respect.”

Hux didn’t cower. “I don’t even know you.”

“And for that, you should be grateful,” said Kylo, getting up from his seat and wiping his hands on a rag. “Hurry up with whatever it is you need to do, we’re leaving in ten minutes. I’ll leave some clothes in your room.”

Hux watched Kylo leave; how the man could go from playful and courteous to a complete arsehole was beyond him. He poured himself a cup of tea and headed back to his room, his resolve of leaving those two lunatics as soon as possible strengthening.

\-----

When Hux came out of the house, Kylo was already kneeling on the leaf-covered ground. There was a bowl with water before him, a single white candle standing in the middle of it. Kylo was staring intently into the flame as the candle melted, forming patterns in the water.

“I believe a simple tracking spell would be more effective,” said Hux, climbing down the porch’s steps.

“And I would appreciate if you didn’t interfere with my job. I know how to track a familiar.”

Hux chuckled lightly. “Idiot. Millicent is not my familiar; she’s my pet.”

Kylo turned sharply, frowning. Hux shrugged in a nonchalant fashion as Kylo blew out the candle and approached him, hands inside the pockets of his coat.

“Lead the way, then,” he said, staring with defiance into Hux’s eyes.

“So I intend to,” replied Hux. Their bodies were all too close and the tension between each other was plausible, but there was something else too that Hux couldn’t quite place; he felt slightly at a loss, just like he did the day before, gazing into those same eyes as he was hanging upside down, or in his confusing dreams of the previous night. He could feel a light shiver run down his body when Kylo stepped back, taking the heat with him.

They started down one of the forest’s paths, side by side. Hux was following a pink quartz that oscillated before him. They would both stop from time to time in order for the makeshift pendulum to redirect them to where Millicent was presumably located.

“How long have you been working on your own?” asked Kylo seemingly out of nowhere, catching Hux a bit off balance.

“Approximately 17 years.”

Kylo scoffed. “17? I’m impressed. You had clients at such a young age?”

“I’ve always had clients,” answered Hux in annoyance. “I don’t mean to brag but I was the youngest successful witch of the Coven.”

“I believe you. What did you do before the whole mess with them?”

“At first they were mostly minor jobs; you know, simple charms for attracting abundance or luck, dull things,” started Hux, his gaze still on the quartz. “Then I started getting better jobs: finding missing people, providing power, things like that.”

“What about love potions?”

Hux wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Those things are vulgar. Besides, they don’t even work. Magic requires consent, as you most likely know.”

Kylo was about to say something in return when Hux held a hand up, signalling for them to stop. The quartz was swinging in circles and Hux started treading carefully, making sure not to step on any branches that could cause a loud noise. He was just peeking behind a tree when he found her, a round body resting against the tree trunk.

“Millie!” he called, pocketing the quartz and hurrying to pick her up. The cat recognised him immediately and jumped into his arms, nuzzling her ginger head against her owner’s chin.

Hux walked back to the place in which he had left Kylo just to find him picking up some mushrooms. He lifted his gaze and frowned at the sight of the cat.

“That was what you were looking for?” Kylo asked, condescension evident in his voice.

“Well I did say it was a cat, what were you expecting?”

“Nothing, but I see now why it couldn’t be a familiar. It’s way too fat,” finalised Kylo before starting his way back to the house. He barely payed attention to Hux’s following protests.

\-----

The sun was starting to go down and Kylo and Hux were still working in the kitchen. They had spent the entire day going over the latest clients’ requests, putting together charms and tonics for every specific need. Although they continually disagreed in ingredients and methods, they had managed to find a working rhythm productive enough.

“This will have to do,” said Kylo, closing the bottle into which he had been pouring some liquid.

Hux regarded him. “I didn’t know you had this much work.”

“We’re always working. There are lots of people, both powerful and ordinary, that find what we do very useful, but you already know that.”

Their eyes met and Hux felt that odd energy all over again. Albeit his feelings of discomfort, he didn’t look away. Kylo straightened in his chair.

“You had a lot of work yourself. I’m sure you had more than enough money to live a decently luxurious life,” he said, his gaze traveling all over Hux.

Hux shrugged. “I wouldn’t call it luxurious but yes, I had money. What’s the point of this?”

“That job that caused you trouble, you didn’t do it out of need. You _wanted_ to do it.”

Hux’s face was impassive. He remained quiet for almost an entire minute before looking out the window. “I don’t see how that changes anything.”

“It doesn’t, not to them,” admitted Kylo, his eyes still fixed on Hux, “but it does to you and to us.” Hux looked back at him and Kylo smirked. “I wasn’t lying when I said you had potential.”

Hux’s gaze went back to the window. The atmosphere in the room felt charged.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I meant it when I said I’m not interested in necromancy, if that’s what you expect me to--”

“Hux,” called Kylo and his face was unreadable. “Necromancy is nothing compared with what we do here.”

There was that damn shiver again. And why was it that Hux felt uncomfortable yet utterly enthralled while staring into those eyes? Whatever the answer to that was, he didn’t feel like exploring any further, so he decided to change the topic.

“What’s with all these things?” he said, gesturing to the table. “I thought you looked down on nature magic.”

Kylo seemed to have gone back to his usual pouty self. “We don’t look down on it, it’s just nothing new.”

“It works,” Hux pointed out as he ran his fingers over a blue bottle. The unusual hue of it made him suddenly remember the door at the end of the hall. “Hey, by the way, does the back door open?”

“Back door?” Kylo was looking at Hux with open confusion.

“Yes, the blue one at the end of the hall.”

“That’s the study’s entrance, which is below the house. It’s where Supreme Leader Snoke works when he’s around and where my readings’ room lies.”

“Oh, right, you do that,” said Hux, visibly losing interest in the topic.

Kylo frowned. “You shouldn’t be so dismissive of divination. You’d be surprised of what my readings have revealed.”

“I’d be surprised they revealed anything. Anyhow, is that room supposed to be off-limits for me or something?”

“As of now, yes, but maybe in time I’ll let you in.”

“And does divination only work in dark, underground places?”

Kylo was still frowning but his expression swiftly changed into one of self-sufficiency. “Why don’t you find out for yourself?” he dared, before getting up from the table. “Not today, though. It’s been a long day and you need to rest. There’s food in the fridge.”

“You won’t eat?” tried Hux but Kylo was already by the door.

“I’m not hungry. I’ll be meditating if you need anything.”

Hux scoffed. “Meditating? What for?”

“Supreme Leader insists. Magic requires a clear mind and focused energy,” Kylo said, as he headed out of the kitchen. However, he stopped at the door. “You know, it’s best to stay away from _distractions_.”

The look Kylo gave Hux froze him. He was looking at him with hooded eyes, and in any other circumstances, Hux would’ve called it a predatory look. Soon enough, Kylo turned his back on him and Hux let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Millicent mewed from the ground, snapping Hux back to reality. He picked her up and headed to the fridge, petting her soft head and still unable to shake the sensation of being watched.


End file.
